GOD OVER CHAOS
Notes
Transcript
THE BIRTH OF MOSES
THE BIRTH OF MOSES
1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman.
WE KNOW FROM LATER SCRIPTURE THAT THIS IS AMRAM AND JOCHEBED.
LEVITE – PRIESTLY CLAN. DOUBLE PRIESTLY SO NO DOUBT.
2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.
FINE CHILD = tov or good
THIS IMMEDIATELY TAKES US TO REFRAIN OF GENESIS 1 “IT IS GOOD (tov)”
BUT THIS PHRASE IS ALSO USED OF EVE’S ATTRACTION TO THE FRUIT AND LATER TO THE “SONS OF GOD” IN GENESIS 6.
THE BIRTH OF MOSES IS INTENDED TO BE SEEN AS A NEW CREATION OR RE-CREATION.
“CONCEIVED AND BORE A SON” IS COMMON IN HEBREW NARRATIVE BUT THE USAGE IN THE TORAH IS SIGNIFICANT. IT’S USED 15 TIMES IN GENESIS AND THIS IS IT’S FIRST AND LAST USE IN THE REST OF THE PENTATEUCH.
3 When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. 4 And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.
BE CAREFUL ON THE INTERNET!
MOSES’ BIRTH IS OFTEN COMPARED TO THE SARGON BIRTH NARRATIVE. SARGON’S MOTHER WAS A HIGH PRIEST AND HIS FATHER UNKNOWN. SHE KEPT HIS CONCEPTION SECRET AND WHEN HE WAS BORN SHE PLACED HIM IN A BASKET OF RUSHED SEALED WITH BUTUMEN AND CAST HIM INTO THE EUPHRATES. THE RIVER CARRIED HIM AND HE WAS RESCUED AND RAISED BY A DRAWER OF WATER.
SARGON LIVED APPROX. 1500 YEARS BEFORE MOSES BUT THE EARLIEST RECORD OF THE SARGON NARRATIVE
THIS BASKET IS ONLY USED IN GENESIS 6-8 AND IS TRANSLATED AS ARK.
MOSES’ MOTHER WAS ATTEMPTING TO PROTECT HIM FROM THE WATERS JUST AS GOD PROTECTED NOAH FROM THE FLOOD.
WATER = CHAOS
AMONG THE REEDS = REED THICKET SO IT WOULDN’T BE CARRIED DOWNSTREAM. THIS RARE WORD IS ALLUDING TO ISRAEL’S DELIVERANCE FROM THE EGYPTIANS AT THE SEA OF REEDS.
5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
CHILD = BOY AS THIS IS THE PERTINANT DANGER.
THE DAUGHTER OF PHAROAH IS UNNAMED IN THE STORY AND WE KNOW NOTHING ELSE OF HER EXCEPT THIS TEXT. BUT WHAT WE KNOW IS SIGNIFICANT. SHE STANDS IN STARK CONTRAST TO HER FATHER’S FEAR-BASED GENOCIDE BY SHOWING COMPASSION.
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother.
MOSES’ MOTHER MEETS THE DAUGHTER OF THE KING AND GOD TURNS THE CIRCUMSTANCES TOWARD HOPE AND SALVATION.
9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
THIS DESCRIBES AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ADOPTION AND NURSING CONTRACT. CHILDREN WERE NURSED FOR 3-4 YEARS BEFORE BEING WEANED.
TAKE IS A PLAY ON WORDS IN THE HEBREW. THE VERY UNUSUALY FORM OF TAKE SOUNDS IDENTICAL TO “HERE IT IS YOURS”.
MOSES IS ONLY NAMED AFTER HE IS WEANED AS IS COMMON IN ANE ADOPTION MOSTLY DUE TO THE HIGH MORTALITY RATE OF INFANTS.
MOSES IS AN EGYPTIAN NAME MEANING CHILD OR SON OR TO BEGET A SON. IE RAMOSE = CHILD OF RA
IT SOUNDS SIMILAR TO THE HEBREW WORD māšāh FOR DRAW OUT.
THIS WORD/THEME GETS PICKED UP ON AGAIN AND AGAIN IN THE OT
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; 5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. 7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. 12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds. 13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. 14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them. 15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. 16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. 17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. 19 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
MENTIONED LAST WEEK HOW THE BIRTH OF CHRIST FOLLOWS IN THE PATTERN OF MOSES' BIRTH
BORN INTO CHAOS AND THREATENED WITH DEATH HE TOO WAS RESCUED BY GOD AND THEN BROUGHT OUT OF EGYPT
JOHN PAINTS A THEOLOGICAL PICTURE OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST IN THE INTRO TO HIS GOSPEL.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
JESUS IS THE SECOND AND GREATER MOSES - MORE ON THAT NEXT WEEK.
JESUS DRAWS US OUT OF THE CHAOS OF SIN AND DEATH AND PLACES US IN HIS KINGDOM OF LOVE AND ORDER.
JESUS IS GREATER THAN CHAOS.
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.